Nation

MH370 crash: DPM conveys Malaysia’s gratitude to heads of government

HAGUE: Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin met a number of heads of government on sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit here to express Malaysia's gratitude for their assistance in the search for the ill-fated Malaysia Airlines (MAS) jetliner.

They included President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping, apart from leaders from Vietnam, Australia, Japan, Thailand, India and others.

"All of them were saddened over the tragic fate of flight MH370 as announced by the Prime Minister on Monday and offered their condolences to the families of those onboard," Muhyiddin told Malaysian journalists here Tuesday.

He said the leaders, including Obama, assured Malaysia of continued help in search for the plane.

"Obama told me that he understood the search for the aircraft is not an easy task," Muhyiddin said, adding that the United States president also asked him to extend his regards to the prime minister.

The deputy prime minister said the leaders commended efforts made by Malaysia in the search operation and appreciated the difficulty in locating objects related to the plane.

Muhyiddin said he was also assured by President Xi Jinping that the tragedy would not affect Malaysia's close ties with China.

Flight MH370, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew, left the KL International Airport at 12.41 am on March 8 and disappeared from radar screens about an hour later while over the South China Sea. It was to have landed in Beijing at 6.30 am on the same day.

Najib announced on Monday: "It is therefore with deep sadness and regret that I must inform you that, according to this new data, flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean." - Bernama